Definition
A massive piece of legislation that combines multiple bills into one enormous package, often thousands of pages long. The legislative equivalent of hiding your vegetables in a smoothie, except the vegetables are controversial provisions nobody would pass on their own.
Example Usage
The omnibus spending bill was 2,232 pages long and passed 12 hours after being introduced, giving members plenty of time to read it thoroughly—said no one.
Origin
From Latin 'omnibus' meaning 'for all,' adopted from French public transportation terminology
Fun Fact
The 2018 federal omnibus appropriations bill was 2,232 pages and allocated $1.3 trillion, giving legislators approximately 2 minutes per page to read it before voting.
Related Terms
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